


The life and times of a free foundling

by Gentleman_Who



Category: Hetty Feather (TV)
Genre: Bignor, Family Reunion, Fluff, Foundling hospital, I'm only writing this because she needs an ending, Love, Marriage, Matron comes back, Mother Hetty, Sheila isn't jealous, Wait maybe she is, Will she ever leave her alone?, a little smut, domestic service, what happened next?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23810266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gentleman_Who/pseuds/Gentleman_Who
Summary: This is the story of Hetty Feather, and this is where is begins...On Hetty's journey to find herself (and her mother), she runs into a new friends, new enemies and new loves. As she strays from the winding road to Bignor, where will Hetty find herself, and who will be there by her side through it all?It's 1893 and Hetty has just turned 17 when she is dismissed from service with the Calendar's and leaves for a new life with her mother in Bignor. This story follows her journey from dismissed servant girl to esteemed author, and covers every bump in her road to success.
Relationships: Hetty Feather/Ida Battersea, Hetty Feather/original male character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	The life and times of a free foundling

"One to Bignor please, sir" she asks. He scans her up and down, at least she thinks that's what he's doing but his eyes are shielded by the rim of his hat, and then nods slightly.

"Four shillings and ten pence then, miss" She hands over the money quickly so she doesn't have to think about how it's almost a whole weeks wages gone at once, and then the little white ticket hits the desk and she picks it up, tilts her head thankfully towards the ticket vendor and steps away from the desk to gather herself together. In her left hand is the battered leather suitcase containing her few belongings, another dress, her hair comb and the little of what is left of her journal. In her right hand she clutches the ticket she hopes will carry her to Ida, to her new life, and to freedom. With a hint of apprehension in her step, she climbs aboard the groaning train as the conductor's whistle screeches is signal on the platform and the train lurches to life and pulls slowly out of London, taking Hetty with it. 

Adjusting to the dimmer lighting inside the train, Hetty begins her search for a seat. It takes less work than she had anticipated, most of the seats are still vacant, and the train is still moving slowly enough that she can make her way to an empty window seat at the opposite end of the carriage without getting too shaken up. She watches absentmindedly as the landscape changes from the built up city into the endless green pastures and speckled yellow meadows of the countryside, dreaming wistfully about the what Bignor will be like, and what Ida will think when she realises Hetty has come all the way from London to live with her. She imagines that Ida lives in a quaint little cottage by the beach, and although she has never seen the beach or the sea, Hetty knows that she will spend many a morning dipping her toes into the warm currents of water as they wash up the beach towards the cottage, depositing lost treasures right at her doorstep. She expects they will be the kind of treasures Mrs Calendar would adorn herself with, the gold set ruby necklaces that would often grace her collar, or the pearl bracelets that Lady Grenford had gifted her on the occasion of her marriage to Mr Calendar. 

She passes the time this way, and in what seems like 5 minutes the train lags slowly to a stop. In a rush, Hetty has reached the door and her hand is already out the window feeling for the handle. When it clicks, she is standing on the platform almost before she can push the heavy door open. How peculiar... Hetty had expected to be hit with the salty tang of the ocean that Harriet had talked about the very instant that she stepped from the train. Perhaps the strong scent of smoke and dust is masking the odour she wishes she could grasp. She pushes her way through the suited men shuffling down the platform and out into a cobbled street lined with dozens and dozens of houses, all attached to one another like they were in London. There isn't a cottage in sight, the salty air isn't tickling her nose and her hair hasn't been touched by a brisk shore wind. But none of it matters because she remembers she is here to see Ida again, and then she doesn't care about the wind or the salt or the cottage. She just cares about finding her mother and wrapping her arms tight around her in the way she'd always dreamed of doing in the Foundling Hospital.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this chapter is short, just wanted to set up where Hetty is at now she's left London. Please feel free to leave suggestions on where you want the story to go in the comments, I'd love to read them and see how I can include them in the story. xox


End file.
